Fuel-feeding apparatus



June 26, 1928. 1,674,978

' C. E. M DONNELL FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed July 21' 1926 2Sheets-Sheet l I auozmqd June 1928.

C. E. M DONNELL FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June26, 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. MCDONNELL, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

FUEL-FEEDING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 21,

This invention relates to improvements in devices particularly designedfor charging coal gas retorts. It is not, however, limited to thisparticular use as it is well adapted for handling other materials suchas sand, gravel and the like.

In the charging of coal gas retorts it necessary that the coal beprojected a minimum distance of twelve feet and the maximum distanceapproximately twentythree feet and an object of the present in ventionis to provide a coal charging mechanism capable of delivering the coalthese distances. depending upon the size of the rctort.

The result sought is best accomplished with sectional impellers in orderto prevent clogging ol' the mechanism. These impellers are preferablypivotally carried on a rotatable shaft. and a further object of theinvention is to provide means for supporting these sectional impellerson the shaft in such wise that their pivot members will be reinforcedagainst any bending stresses imposed upon the same when the impellersencounter the material being handled.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel details of construction and combinations and arrange ments ofparts all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novelfeatures thereof particularly pointed out in the appended c aims.

in the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation with the easing partly broken away to showthe interior parts of the device; and

Fig. 2 is an edge view looking into the discharge opening, the upperportion of the cas ng being broken away.

l ig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the assembly of thein'ipellers.

The fuel feeding device comprises .1 casing 1t) and is preferablymounted upon a base plate 11. said casing embodying a lower sectionbolted on said base at 21. The upper and lower sections of said casingare jointly formed with bearings for a shaft 1') which is usuallyrotated by a motor also mounted on the base 11. In its upper portion thecasing 10 is formed with an inlet opening 1; preferably offset somewhatwith respect to the vertical in order to direct the fuel toward theinner surface of the casing and in its lower portion said casing isformed with an outlet 14 through which the 1926. Serial No. 124.082.

fuel is expelled or projected by the mechanism to be described.

This impelling or projecting mechanism for the coal or other materialconsists of a series of in'ipellers revoluble in the casing 10 by theshaft 172. If rigid impellers are used it is often found that undulylarge pieces of hard mate 'ial wedge between the inner surface of thecasing and the adjacent end portions of the impellers and as a resultthe mechanism becomes clogged, under which circumstances p rts are aptto be broken. ()n the other hand, if plain pivoted impellers are usedunduly large pieces of material will result in the impellers being movedon their p vots so that the material escapes that particular impellerbetween the outer edge of the impeller and the casing and passes to thenext. succeeding impeller so that an abnormal load is placed upon thesucceeding impeller. For this reason, in the present instance theimpellers are preferably formed of a plurality of sections each one ofwhich is movable with respect to the other so that if a large piece ofhard substance such as slate, wood or the like should engage theimpeller one or more of the impeller sections may move on its pivot topermit the same to escape. while the remaining sections will remain innormal position and retain the fuel being carried thereby, with resultthat such fuel is carried by these last mentioned impeller sections willnot escape or move past the impeller and thereby impose an abnormalburden uponv the next succeeding impeller.

As a matter of manufacturing economy and as a matter of convenience,these sectional impellers indicated at 15 are preferably secured orcarried by the shaft by means of a plurality of plates 16 keyed on saidshaft. Two of said plates, 16 which may be termed end plates, abutagainst the walls of the casing while the remainder of these plates arespaced axially of the shaft so thatone plate is extended between eachtwo adjacent impeller sections. Mounted in these plates are a pluralityof pins 17 extending axially of the shaft. the number of pinscorresponding to the number of impellers to be carried by the shaft.Pivotally mounted on said pins 17 are a number of members. which mightbe termed tingers, constituting the impeller sections 15. Said sectionsor fingers 15 project from the plates into close proximity to the innersurface of the casing. \Vith the pivot pins for the impeller sectionscarried by the shaft in this fashion, said pins are well reinforcedagainst any bending strains which might be placed upon them by the loadcarried by the impeller sections themselves.

ln the structure shown in the present in stance the impellers are eachcomposed of fourteen sections each tive inches long, one inch wide andone-half inch thick and thcre is about one-fourth to one-half inchclearance between the tips of said impeller and the casing. The spacerplates are preferably about twelve inches in diameter and one-sixteenthinch thick. \Vith this construction the coal should be crushed to a sizenot larger than two and one-half inches.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of acasinglnwinginlet and outlet openings for material to be handled by thedevice, a shalt jonrnaled in said casing, a series of plates mounted onsaid shaft, a plurality of pivot pins carried by said plates and asectional impeller pivoted on each of said pins and projecting intoproximity to the surface of said casing.

2. In a device oi the character described, the combination of a casinghaving inlet and outlet openings for material to be handled by thedevice, a shaft journalcd in said ca.---- ing. a series of platesmounted on said shaft, a plurality of pivot pins carricd by said plates.and an impeller pivoted on each of said pivot pins, each impellercomprising a series of fingers arranged axially of said shaft with oneof said platcs positioned between each pair ot adjacent impellerfingers.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casinghaving an inlet and an outlet for material to be handled, a. shaftjournalcd in said caring, a plurality of pivot pins revoluble with saidshaft, a sectional impeller pivoted on each of said pins, and meansmounted on said shaft for supporting said pivot pins and reinforcing thesame against bending strains imposed thereon by said impellerencountering the material being handled.

(HARL 1S 1. MoDONNELII.

